Placer-machine.



C. E. J. ANDERSON.

PLACER MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 18, 1911. 1 1,088,759. Patented Mar. 3, 1914.

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PLACER MACHINE.

APPLIOATION IILED NOV. ua, 1911.

Wsmessas:

COLUMBIA PLANounAPH co.,wAs||mnTnn n UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARI. E. J. ANDERSON, 0F YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO, ASSIGNOR o NATIONAL PLACERMACHINE COMPANY, or YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF ARIZONA.

PLAGER-MACHIN E.

Application filed November 18, 1911.

To all whom it may 007LG67'7L.

Be it known that I, CARL E. J. ANDERSO a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Youngstown, county of Mahoning, and State of Ohio,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Placer-Machines, of whichthe following is a specification, the principle of the invention beinghereln explained and the best mode in which I have.

contemplated applying that principle, so as to distinguish it from otherinventions.

My invention relates to a continuously operating placer machine of thetype which is designed to use the same water over and over again. It isadapted for the separation of precious metals such as gold and silverfrom finely crushed ore or gravel containing these metals.

To the accomplishment of these and related ends said invention thenconsists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularlypointed out in the claims.

The annexed drawings and the following description set forth in detailcertainmeohanism embodying the invention, such disclosed meansconstituting, however, but one of various mechanical forms in which theprinciple of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawings: Figure is a vertical central section of mymproved machine; Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same; Fig. 3 is a viewsimilar to that shown in Fig. 1 and illustrating a modified form of mydevice; Fig. 4. a view similar to thatof Fig. 3 showing a secondmodification of the machine.

In Fig. 1 in an external casing l is shown a water reservoir 2overflowing at one end into a vertical conduit 3 which is connected witha horizontally disposed conduit or sluice-way 4.. The latter isconnected at its other end with a second vertical conduit 5 which opensinto the other end of the water reservoir 2. As will be seen the waterreser voir 2 is V-shaped, thus permitting it to collect at the lower endsuch waste material as may precipitate therein. This waste material isremoved by conveying means comprising a chain of buckets 6. These areadapted to continuously pass into the bottom of the reservoir by therotation of the toothed wheel 7 by which the bucket chain is driven.These conveying means will remove all of the waste material from thereservoir as will be readily seen.

Specification Of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 3, 1914. Serial NO. 661,133.

In the horizontal conduit 4. a propeller shaft 8 is mounted by means ofbearings 9 at the ends of the sluice-way. This pro= peller may be drivenat the proper speed by one of the pulleys 10 and 11 which arenonrotatably attached to the exte'riorly extending ends of the shaft.The paddle blades 12 are mounted 'upon the shaft 8 at intervals and areadapted to force the water and waste material carried thereby from theconduit in the direction of the arrows.

They will also impart a rotary movement to the stream of water in theconduit 4 and will throw the materials carried by the water in a radialdirection with a force dependout upon the weight of the materials. Alongthe bottom of the sluice-way are a number of buckets or depressions 13.

The action of the machine is as follows: Gold bearing me or gravel issupplied to the upper end of the conduit 3 by any desired means and acontinuous circulation of water is maintained in the direction indicatedby the arrow by means of the propeller shaft above described. In thisway the gravel or ore supplied to the conduit 3 is drawn down into thehorizontal sluice-way and is there given a forward and rotary motion.The gold being eight times as heavy as the gravel, and the silver aboutfour times as heavy are accordingly cast against the walls of thehorizontal conduit and are retained in the buckets 13. The buckets 13would retain the precious metals even though the motion imparted to thesame were merely a forward one since the greater weight of the metalswould cause them to precipitate upon the bottom of the sluice-way. Thesand and gravel is forced upwardly from the conduit 5 into the reservoir2. The current across this reservoir is very much slower than thecurrent in the sluice-way and accordingly the ore and other wastematerial will precipitate and be removed by the conveyer means. Thewater will then again overflow into the conduit 3 and the action will berepeated, the only loss of water being from evaporation and from thesmall amount of water carried away with the gravel and waste material.The precious metal can be removed from the buckets 13 by removing thepockets from the sluiceway. The Operation of the machine will of coursehave to be interrupted for this purpose.

In Fig. 2 it will be seen that the conduit 4 is centrally located andthat the conveyer means are driven by means of a worm 1 1 which engagesa pinion 15 on the end of the shaft.

The machine shown in Fig. 3 is not particularly different from the onealready described, the only difference being in the metal retainingmeans which in this case comprise a removable trough 16 which extendsthe entire length of the sluice-way. In all other respects theconstruction and operation of this nachine will be the same as that ofmy preferred type.

In Fig. 4: the propeller means are disposed in a vertical conduit 5 andare driven by means of the bevel gear 1'7 and 18. The form of thesluice-way is here made serpentine, the metal retaining pockets beingplaced at the lowest point of each of the loops. somewhat different fromthat of those previously described, in that the water and ore in thesluice;way will not be made to rotate and the only action tending tocause the precipitation of the precious metals will be that of gravity.Gravity will also tend to act on the gravel and other waste material butthe route of flow through the sluice-way will be designed to transportthe gravel and waste material while not being fast enough to carry alongthe heavy gold and silver. As in the other machines the size of thereservoir will be sufficient to slow down the rate of flow therethroughto the point at which gravel will be deposited on the shaped bottom,fro-1n which it will be collected by the conveyer means alreadydescribed.

It will be evident that in the several types of machines here describedthe action of gravity tending to deposit the heavy gold and silver istaken advantage of and the use of riflle boards for the purpose ofamalgamating the precious metal is done away with.

The elimination of the necessity for using mercury to catch andamalgamate the metals is important, as it causes considerable sav- Theaction of this machine will be ing. The mercury was carried away by thewaste water and material and had to be constantly renewed. Then too, onestep in the mining is now saved since the gold and silver need not beseparated from the mercury.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employedinstead of theone explained, change being made as regards the mechanismherein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the followingclaims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my inventionv 1. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a conduithaving pockets along the sides thereof; a water-reservoir overflowinginto said conduit; and a screwpropeller mounted longitudinally in saidconduit and adapted to return the discharge from said conduit to saidreservoir and adapted also to eXert a centrifugalaction in said conduitand to force the precious metals toward the sides thereof, whereby saidmetals are received by such pockets.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination of ahorizontally disposed conduit having pockets in one side; awaterreservoir disposed above said conduit; an overflow conduitconnecting one end of said reservoir to the corresponding end of saidhorizontal conduit; a return conduit connecting the other ends of saidhorizontal conduit and said reservoir; and a screwpropeller mountedlongitudinally in said horizontal conduit and adapted to return thedischarge from said horizontal conduit to said reservoir and adaptedalso to exert a centrifugal action in said horizontal conduit and toforce the precious metals toward the sides thereof, whereby said metalsare received by such pockets.

Signed by me this 11th day of November,

CARL E. J. ANDERSON. Attested by G. H. DENNIsoN,

M. D. WVAYMAN.

Copies; of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G.

